During a fiery cross-examination of Trump trial prosecution witness Michael Cohen, the former Trump-world lawyer, and turncoat told defense attorney Todd Blanche that while he was not part of the official 2016 Trump campaign, he was a “surrogate.” The word is a technical, political industry term for people who represent campaigns in the media.
But Cohen’s assertion of being a campaign “surrogate” has been blown apart by new details obtained by The National Pulse, leading to concern that the New York lawyer once again perjured himself on the stand, this past week.
Asked about his 2016 role, Cohen opined, under oath, “I wasn’t going to be part of it. I was just going to be a surrogate… someone who speaks on behalf of the candidate and defends him in the press. Speaks to the press, provides color, but not as a member of the campaign , but, rather, as an outside person. So, again, as to give the appearance that it’s unbiased.”
The idea that anyone would believe Cohen would be “unbiased” towards his own client in 2016 is ludicrous enough on its face. Throughout the trial, Cohen repeated this claim that he was a campaign surrogate, but the suggestion has now been dismissed by the 2016 campaign staffer who managed all surrogate activity.
“I never booked him and never referred to him as a surrogate,” 2016 Trump communications director Bryan Lanza told The National Pulse. “Trump never asked me to book him or the campaign never asked me,” he further explained, raising questions as to whose authority Cohen claims to have been acting on as a surrogate.
While media articles listing Cohen as a surrogate can be found online, the title is likely to have been misrepresented from Cohen’s end, given Lanza’s assertion that the campaign never sent him out as a surrogate. The details suggest Cohen may have perjured himself again, this week, and repeatedly throughout the New York trial.
